Same location VR overlap play space guardian remapping

Abstract

If an overlap of two or more extended reality (XR) safe play areas, associated with active XR devices (e.g., VR devices) operating in a physical space is detected, then a combined safe area is determined based on the first and second safe areas, and a reconfigured first and second safe areas are generated for the XR devices. A virtual partition may demarcate the separation between the first and second safe areas. The virtual partition may include a buffer zone that separates the reconfigured first safe area from the reconfigured second safe area. An errant XR device may be guided back to its safe area. If a XR device is deactivated, the entire combined area may be allotted to the remaining XR device.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for a first extended reality (XR) device or a second XR device, the method comprising:
 retrieving first information defining a first safe area in a physical space and second information defining a second safe area in the physical space, 
 wherein the first safe area and the second safe area are defined by at least one XR device; 
 determining that an overlap exists in the physical space of the first safe area and the second safe area; 
 reconfiguring, by control circuitry, at least one of the first safe area in the physical space for the first XR device or the second safe area in the physical space for the second XR device, wherein, after the reconfiguring, the first safe area and the second safe area include no overlap with each other in the physical space; and 
 generating a signal to at least one of the first XR device or the second XR device notifying of the reconfiguring of the at least one of the first safe area or the second safe area. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 after the reconfiguring, generating a virtual partition comprising a buffer zone in the physical space, wherein the buffer zone separates the first safe area from the second safe area. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the first safe area or the second safe area is reconfigured such that the first safe area and the second safe area are approximately equal in size. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the reconfiguring of the at least one of the first safe area and the second safe area is such that the first safe area is located as close as possible to the second safe area with a buffer zone separating the first safe area from the second safe area. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining an activity level associated with the first XR device; and 
 determining an activity level associated with the second XR device, wherein the first safe area is reconfigured to be larger than the second safe area based on the activity level associated with the first XR device and the activity level associated with the second XR device. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein, after the reconfiguring, a size of the first safe area relative to a size of the second safe area is based on:
 an average activity level generated by a first application active for the first XR device and 
 the average activity level generated by a second application active for the second XR device. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining that the first XR device is deactivated in the physical space and that the second XR device is active in the physical space; 
 after the reconfiguring, dynamically updating the second safe area for exclusive permitted use of second XR device by combining the first safe area with the second safe area. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 providing a notification via a user interface of the second XR device that the second safe area is enlarged. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 after the dynamically updating the second safe area, detecting that both the first XR device and the second XR device are active in the physical space; 
 based on the detecting that both the first XR device and the second XR device are active in the physical space, transmitting a first signal to the first XR device indicating the first safe area for exclusive permitted use of the first XR device and transmitting a second signal to the second XR device indicating the second safe area for exclusive permitted use of the second XR device. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the overlap is determined to exist in the physical space when a first boundary of the first safe area is detected to lie less than a threshold distance away from a second boundary of the second safe area. 
     
     
       11. A system for a first extended reality (XR) device or a second XR device, the system comprising:
 a memory; and 
 control circuitry configured:
 to retrieve first information defining a first safe area in a physical space and second information defining a second safe area in the physical space, wherein the first safe area and the second safe area are defined by at least one XR device; 
 to determine that an overlap exists in the physical space of the first safe area and the second safe area; 
 to reconfigure, by control circuitry, at least one of the first safe area in the physical space for the first XR device or the second safe area in the physical space for the second XR device, wherein, after the reconfiguring, the first safe area and the second safe area include no overlap with each other in the physical space; and 
 to generate a signal to at least one of the first XR device or the second XR device notifying of the reconfiguring of the at least one of the first safe area or the second safe area. 
 
 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 11 , wherein the system is configured:
 after the reconfiguring, to generate a virtual partition comprising a buffer zone in the physical space, wherein the buffer zone separates the first safe area from the second safe area. 
 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one of the first safe area or the second safe area is reconfigured such that the first safe area and the second safe area are approximately equal in size. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 11 , wherein the reconfiguring of the at least one of the first safe area and the second safe area is such that the first safe area is located as close as possible to the second safe area with a buffer zone separating the first safe area from the second safe area. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 11 , wherein the system is configured:
 to determine an activity level associated with the first XR device; and 
 to determine an activity level associated with the second XR device, wherein the first safe area is reconfigured to be larger than the second safe area based on the activity level associated with the first XR device and the activity level associated with the second XR device. 
 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 11 , wherein, after the reconfiguring, a size of the first safe area relative to a size of the second safe area is based on:
 an average activity level generated by a first application active for the first XR device and the average activity level generated by a second application active for the second XR device. 
 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 11  wherein the system is configured:
 to determine that the first XR device is deactivated in the physical space and that the second XR device is active in the physical space; 
 after the reconfiguring, to dynamically update the second safe area for exclusive permitted use of second XR device by combining the first safe area with the second safe area. 
 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 17 , wherein the system is configured:
 to provide a notification via a user interface of the second XR device that the second safe area is enlarged. 
 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 18 , wherein the system is configured:
 after the dynamically updating the second safe area, to detect that both the first XR device and the second XR device are active in the physical space; 
 based on the detecting that both the first XR device and the second XR device are active in the physical space, to transmit a first signal to the first XR device indicating the first safe area for exclusive permitted use of the first XR device and to transmit a second signal to the second XR device indicating the second safe area for exclusive permitted use of the second XR device. 
 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 11  wherein the overlap is determined to exist in the physical space when a first boundary of the first safe area is detected to lie less than a threshold distance away from a second boundary of the second safe area.